Jumat, 14 September 2012

Laboratory Home Pulls Its Own Weight Energy-Wise


Only yesterday, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (a branch of the Commerce Department) presented to the general public the prototype of a home which supposedly can accommodate a family of four while almost never needing to depend on the national grid for electricity.

Although for the time being this facility is intended to function as a laboratory, meaning that several researchers will use it to perform tests on various alternative energy systems, materials and designs, this does not mean that such households will not soon begin to pop up in various residential areas.

As explained on the official website for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), this facility is intended to help scientists figure out which architectural and engineering designs are the greenest as far as electricity consumption is concerned by making sure existing options get tested in real-life conditions and not just between the four walls of a laboratory.

E! Science News quotes Patrick Gallagher (director for the NIST), who made a case of how “Results from this lab will show if net-zero home design and technologies are ready for a neighborhood near you.”

He elaborated on this matter as follows: “It will also allow development of new design standards and test methods for emerging energy-efficient technologies and, we hope, speed their adoption.”

Sources explain that this laboratory home has two stories, and is made up of four bedrooms and three baths.

As well as this, maximum energy efficiency is to be achieved with the help of state-of-the-art insulation materials and technologies, solar water heating and the best of photovoltaic systems.

Apparently, the extra amounts of electricity generated during sunny days will be fed into the national grid, meaning that whenever the whether does not allow it to fend for itself, this house can rely on this rather conventional power source without having to “feel guilty” about it.

Via: Laboratory Home Pulls Its Own Weight Energy-Wise

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